Forget the draft compensation or the money Kansas City Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt just paid former Seattle Seahawks edge rusher, Frank Clark. This brilliant trade signals the gunslinger mentality that will define general manager Brett Veach today and tomorrow.
In 2016, before he became the full-time GM, Veach watched a tape of Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes II. From the moment of that first clip on the Red Raider prospect, he hounded then-GM John Dorsey who, on the day of the draft, pulled off the trade that landed last years’ NFL MVP.
On Tuesday, reminiscent of his aggressiveness to get Mahomes, the rumored trade between the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks finally came to light. The Chiefs sent their 2019 first-round pick and 2020 second-round pick to Seattle for Clark. Seattle, who entered the day with just four picks this weekend, also swapped third-round slots with the Chiefs.
Once the deal was announced, the Chiefs gave Clark a mega contract making him the third highest paid defensive lineman in the NFL. It also put the AFC West on notice that the Chiefs, one offsides call away from a Super Bowl last season, again have their sights set on a world championship.
For those that fear the Chiefs gave up too much in draft compensation, that’s a reach of skepticism. Remember draft picks in any round amount to raffle tickets. Far too often this franchise got in its own way, wielding the changing NFL with quicksand in their shoes afraid to make the deal Veach did today and two years ago in getting Mahomes.
In the past, cemented with one bad decision after another, once this franchise turned the ball over to Reid, the goal was to win games at Arrowhead, make the playoffs, and start again the next year after more January failures. But after last year’s AFC Championship game (the loss this team endured, just an offsides penalty away from a return trip to the Super Bowl), this trade had to be made.
With that hunger in hand, Veach reshaped his defense in a single off-season. He signed the best young safety on the market, Tyrann Mathieu, and now added the best young edge rusher not named Khalil Mack.
What the Chiefs gained in this trade was a young, highly motivated and talented defender who creates havoc on opposing quarterbacks. Forget the outstanding sack numbers and quarterback pressures. Look at the quality of his snaps and the fact he simply makes plays from the opening snap to the last snap.
For those comparing Clark to the recently departed Dee Ford, you’re wasting your breath. Clark is a vastly superior edge rusher who can split the guard and tackle when the outside option is taken away. Ford was a one-trick pony. He could dip his shoulder and beat slower tackles, but he didn’t have another move. He left four or five sacks on the field last year because he didn’t recognize a different path to the quarterback. Not to mention his horrific game against the Patriots last year costing this franchise a return to the Super Bowl.
For those that still don’t see the big picture, and will continue to gripe at the price tag of picks or the financial compensation Clark Hunt signed off on to snag Clark away from Seattle, it’s simply short-sided.
Veach and his quarterback have made it clear they are in Kansas City to win Super Bowls. To be a true champion, you have to be aggressive, spend your money wisely, and roll the dice with young proven players versus thirty-something players or less talented draft picks that littered KC’s rosters for decades.
The move today, and the ones made this entire offseason, indicate Veach has a full grasp on his task ahead.
Last year they rode the shoulders of Mahomes, and he singlehandedly carried this team on his back. With the moves Veach has made to improve his defense since free agency began in March (not to mention the addition of Spagnuolo and talented coaching staff), how can anyone criticize the Clark trade?
So as a last departing salvo, when Clark makes the key sack next January in the AFC Championship game at Gillette Stadium, knocking the ball from Tom Brady’s fingers and thwarting the potential game-winning drive, you’ll finally see why Veach made this move as he hoists the Hunt Trophy proudly above his shoulders.
